White Rose
by Karate Kitty
Summary: I am finally back! After saying to myself that I wouldn't allow people to hang forever and regularly post chapters, I ended up leaving off for an interval. Sorry! School has been keeping me really busy! Please read! I will be posting more soon!
1. The Party

Disclaimer:  I do not own Batman or any associated characters.  

This is my first attempt at a fan fiction, and I would really appreciate feedback.  Enjoy!

She wandered around the room in wonder.  The party was splendid.  However, it would have been nice if she knew more of the people there other than some of the police officers.  Whatever could the commissioner have been thinking of?  He had no idea she was not the socialite type, and never would be.  Not that she's impolite, just shy and quiet.  She had already slipped away into a secluded area, seating herself near the window.  It's not like anyone had really been talking to her, anyway.  Staring into the night, she wondered what she would do.  The officers had not noticed that she was gone.

            Meanwhile, Bruce Wayne arrived at the same party with his ward, Tim Drake.  As Bruce wandered from acquaintance to acquaintance, never seeming to tire of it, Tim did rather quickly, deciding to go and check out the refreshments.  On his way there, he noticed something he thought to be quite unusual.  He saw a woman sitting alone, near a secluded window.  Tim decided to investigate; perhaps she was bored, and would be more interesting company than Bruce and his friends.  He approached the window and looked outside, wondering what it was she saw, but saw nothing of any consequence.  

He looked toward her and said, "Nice night, isn't it?"

She didn't answer.  He waved his hand in front of her face, but she seemed not to see it.  Then he reached out to touch her shoulder, and shake her to see if she was even alive, when suddenly, her head snapped around, the expression relaxing once she saw that the kid was no threat.  In the meantime, her sudden movement had startled Tim, causing him to take a step back.  

She smiled and said, "So, are you tired of this boring party too?"

He replied, "Yeah, I don't know why they dragged me here.  Other than the refreshments, it's a snoozer."  She laughed lightly.

"I see you don't enjoy fancy parties either."  Her easy-going manner eliminated any strangeness Tim had felt earlier.  

"So, what were you looking at outside?"

"I was looking at nothing but seeing everything at the same time, in an attempt to forget where I am and how uncomfortable I feel being all dressed up."

"Are you serious?" Tim asked incredulously.

"Yes, actually, I am.  I know that sounds silly for someone my age…"

"I thought I was the only one here who doesn't enjoy dressing up!"

"Dressing up and looking nice I enjoy.  Being dressed up is what bothers me."

"The whole thing bothers me," Tim replied.  She laughed again.

"My name is Lorelei, and you are?"

"Tim.  Are you from around here?"

"No, I'm actually from the west coast, I just moved into Gotham City this week."  

They continued to talk about many things, and Tim found out where she came from and what she does for a living, but what he found to be interesting was that she studies the martial arts, specifically karate.  So of course, he started asking all sorts of questions about that.

Bruce was speaking with the commissioner who said, "There's someone I'd like to introduce you to.  She just moved here recently and does interpreting work with Japanese companies, she's over here…" 

Bruce followed the commissioner to where Bullock, Montoya, and a couple of other detectives were standing and chatting.  

"Where did Lorelei go?" he asked, sounding just a little worried.

Bullock replied, "What do you mean, where is she?  She's right here…well, she was when we got here; maybe she went to powder her nose or something."  

Montoya quickly left to check.  Upon her return, she informed them that she hadn't seen her.

"You people are telling me that she just disappeared?  You were supposed to be keeping her company, remember?"

            Bullock retorted, "Well, I was trying to talk to her, and then she gave me this look and called me a jerk."

            "No, you were hitting on her, Bullock, and she wasn't interested," Montoya said in clarification.

            "Why is this woman's whereabouts such a big deal?" Bruce asked politely, detecting a case that may need some special help.  

The commissioner replied, "She's been moved to the east coast to for her protection.  She is a key witness to a case that will bring down the Martellini mob family, a very powerful and notorious mob family based on the west coast."

"Have they followed her here to Gotham?"

            "Not that we're aware of, but we're keeping our eyes open." the commissioner said.

            "What does she look like?  Maybe I can help you find her."

            "She's about average height, with curly brown hair and blue eyes.  Okay then, let's spread out and see if we can find her.  Move it!"

            Lorelei was talking to Tim when three strange men walked up.  "Miss, we have something to discuss with you, it's urgent." One of them informed her.

            "Tim, it was nice talking to you, I'll see you later."  She smiled at him, but he noticed that something was not right here.  They were closing in on her.  

"Are you sure you're with these guys?"  He asked.  

"It's not your business, kid!"  One of them replied angrily.  

Quick as a flash, she rose, stepping in-between them to protect Tim.  

"Tim, it's ok.  Nothing is going on here, I just need to speak with these men in private."  She said calmly, but the look Tim saw on her face told it all.  Next thing she knew, they were pushing her out a side entrance.

            Tim ran, frantically looking for Bruce.  Finally finding him, he said, "Come quick!"  

Bruce asked him what was wrong, and Tim told him all about the scene with his new friend as he led him to where she had been.

            "Let me guess, she has curly brown hair and blue eyes."

"How did you know?"

            "Call it a hunch."

            "This discussion is closed.  I have nothing more to say to you!"  Lorelei declared as soon as they were outside, and started to run away.

"That's what you think!" one of the men said as he reached out and grabbed her arm.  She stopped, and twisted her arm out of his grasp, while one of the other men's fists found it's mark on her face, knocking her down to the ground.  Rising up, she found that they had maneuvered her into a dead end.  As another one of them headed in to strike at her again, she blocked it and struck back, and as the rest advanced, she did the same to them, and ran out of the side alley, only to find one more of them, one of which held a gun.  She turned to run the other way, but was shoved into back into the alley.  His accomplices recovered, two of them grabbed her and shoved her hard into the wall, then stepped clear while the man who wielded the gun took aim and fired.

************************************************************************

            Batman and Robin were outside on the rooftop.  Robin recognized her as she was shoved backward into the side alley.  

"Robin, go find the commissioner, and tell him to call for back-up, now!"  

Robin went inside while Batman jumped down into the alley, but was too late.  The shot was fired.  He tackled and disarmed the man with the gun, knocking him out cold.  The other three turned around in surprise, as he knocked them all down effortlessly.  He saw her lying there, and quickly knelt down and checked to see if she was still alive, when she came to and started to get up.

            "Don't try to move, help is on the way!"  As he said this he noticed her holding her side.

            "Watch out!"  She pushed him away as one of the assailants attempted to strike him on the back of the head.  Batman intercepted his intended blow.  Batman quickly came to her assistance as she finished standing up.  

"Are you alright?  What happened?"

            "Not…really…" was her response as she collapsed.  Batman caught her as she fell.  That was when he saw it.  The gunshot wound in her side, and the large bloodstain on her dress accompanying it.  Then he noticed something odd—a white rose sitting in the middle of the puddle of blood on the ground.  

Her assailants had all disappeared.


	2. Hospital Meeting

Chapter 2 is finally up!!!  Sorry it took so long, figuring out exactly how I wanted to edit the story was more difficult than I thought…But, here it is for your enjoyment!  Once again, Batman and all related characters are property of DC comics, the only thing that I do claim is the character I created. Lorelei.  Please review!!!  And thanks to those that took the time to post a review for me!!  J

Chapter 2:  Hospital Meeting

The senses were confronted with a swirl of color and muffled noise.  A blinding light shone in the room.  Colors solidified into shapes, the shapes began to distinguish themselves as people.  But these people were strangers, acquaintances that knew nothing about her.  Sinking spirits brought forth a desire to leave this place right away.  But as she started to sit up, a hand reached over and gently pushed her back down to a lying position.

            "There is no need for me to stay here longer," she said weakly.  She then realized that she was so full of tranquilizers that her body felt like a puddle of shapeless glue.

            "I'm afraid not," the commissioner replied.  "You've been out for about forty-eight hours, and even though you appear to heal fast, the doctors wish to keep you here for observation."

            "Good for the doctors!  It is not safe for me to stay here, and if they gave me any more painkillers, I would be dead.  If those guys come after me right now, I'd be defenseless."

            "That's what the guards stationed outside your door and at every entrance around the building are here for."

            "You really think that they can stop any potential threat?  No number of guards can create absolute security!  Besides, most of them wouldn't know what to do if they were disarmed."

            "All of our officers have basic self-defense training."

            "I've seen your officers in action.  Most of them have the reaction time of a slug.  Most of them are so focused on their weapon, when they lose it, their minds go blank and they freak out.  Besides, the people after me hired well-trained assassins.  The only reason they ran away was because they heard sirens and knew that they would be outnumbered."

            Bruce Wayne had walked in when she woke up, and listened to the conversation, somewhat bemused at her reply to the commissioner's reassurance, but decided to cut into the conversation before it became a heated argument.  

"It is their job to protect you, I'm sure that they will do the best job they possibly can.  You shouldn't wear yourself out with worrying, just lie back and relax, let the police worry about any potential threat."  

That's what he said, but secretly, in his detective mind, he knew that she was absolutely right; they couldn't handle the sort of people that had assaulted her earlier.

            "I always borrow trouble and get stressed out, it's just the type of person I am.  I know what's coming after me and how to deal with it."

"I'm sorry, I'm not trying to upset you, commissioner, I just don't know how much more of this being chased after I can handle."

            "We'll leave so you can rest."  They left the room, shutting the door behind them.

            Bruce attempted to appease the commissioner's anger.  "She's just dealing with the shock of being shot right now, don't take it personally, she doesn't really mean what she said."

            "Well, it would help if I knew what I'm up against, but she won't say, and there really isn't a lot of information on the Martellini Family that I have access to."

            "How is that she's involved in this?"

            "Apparently, she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

            "Let me try to talk to her, she seemed upset about something else."

            "If you want to talk to her, be my guest, but be prepared, she is honest to a fault."

************************************************************************

            A few hours later Bruce walked back into the room.  In his most pleasant tone, he asked, "Are you feeling any better?"

            "Yes, thank you." she replied.  "I do hope that the commissioner's aware that I'm sorry about what I said, a lot of that was just frustration and exhaustion."

            "A lot of it?  What about the rest?"

"The rest I feel to be true."

"How do you know whether what you said is true or not?"

"Because an earlier encounter ended up with me saving my 'protectors'.  I don't think we've met, you are…"

"Bruce Wayne."

"Ah!  So you're Tim's guardian."

            "Yes…I just wanted to come by and thank you for protecting Tim from those men."

            "You don't need to thank me for that.  I don't want to see anyone get hurt because of me."

            A light shined in through the window, a calling card of sorts, beckoning the dark knight.  "Look, I don't want to wear you out, get some rest.  I'll come back later."

            Commissioner Gordon waited patiently for Batman to come, and as usual, when he least expected it, he walked up through the shadows, nearly giving him a heart attack.

            "I wish you'd stop doing that."

            "What is it?"  
  


            "I have a case for you."  

The commissioner then explained the case to him in as best detail as he could.  "The problem is, I don't think that we can do much for her, with our limited knowledge of the situation."

            "I'll see what I can do."  He left, disappearing as quickly as he came.

            Batman's first move was to head to the hospital and keep watch over the area.  Everything seemed quiet.  He noticed the commissioner and the woman talking.  He decided to find out what they were talking about.

            "You can't just leave, where will you go?"

            "Somewhere where they won't find me.  I cannot sit here while I'm putting other people's lives in danger."

            "You don't know that they would hurt anyone else if it's you they want."

            "They will do whatever it takes to get to me, even if that means killing those that stand in their way."  

Now he was certain that she did indeed know more than she was telling the police.  He was about to make an entrance and speak with her himself when the room filled with smoke.  He charged in, heading towards her hospital bed, quickly putting on his gas mask.  He jumped over the bed and pulled the commissioner out of the room just out of range of the explosion that followed.

            A figure outside darted into a side alley, then hid behind a trashcan.  She fell down on her knees, feeling the lingering sluggishness in her body, and the pain that ensued when she removed her IV.  Still, she knew she had to; she never would have managed to walk out of the range of the smoke in time before the explosion.  These assassins were clever, she thought, but not clever enough.  Still, she was tired of this constant running and fighting to save her skin, if only there were some way to get away from all this; to make it stop.  Then she heard a sound near her, and whipped around, ready to defend herself, but no one was there.  

She asked, "Who's there?"  No one presented himself or herself, and she heard no immediate reply.

            "Maybe you should tell me what's going on."

            Lorelei turned around to get her first clear look at the dark knight.

"Was it necessary to startle me like that?"

"How did you get out in time?"

"Luck.  What do you want?"

            "Answers."

            "What do you want to know?"

            "How are you connected to the Martellini family?"

            "I just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time."

            "That's not the answer I want."  His eyes narrowed.

            Inwardly Lorelei was a little taken aback by his direct manner but outwardly never faltered.  "The company I used to work for had major dealings with the Martellini's, and I was sent information on a deal between them and my company by mistake.  I reported this to the police, and soon after that, the company shut down."

            "What's the name of the company?"

            "Smith and Associates."  Lorelei sank down to her knees, hands gripping her hospital gown.  Batman bent down to assist her.

            "You ok?"

            "So tired…everything's spinning…" Without another word, he took her back inside the hospital and disappeared.

            After sneaking a peek at some files in the hospital, Batman returned to the cave, turning over what he knew in his head, trying to figure out the sequence of events.  There was one thing that just did not make sense, and that was how Lorelei was able to get out of the room before the explosion when she was on all that pain medication.  The more he thought about it, the more it didn't make sense, making the problem all the more perplexing.  As Alfred walked in with a late night snack, he noted Bruce's furrowed brow and politely inquired,  "Something wrong, sir?"

            "How could someone have a quick enough reaction time to get out a room in ten seconds after just being administered with strong pain medication?"

            "That's a riddle I don't have an answer to, sir."

            "Neither do I."

************************************************************************

            Back at the hospital, Dr. William Hathcock was making sure that Ms. Spencer was situated in her new room before leaving to check on some other patients.  A doctor in his late thirties, with gray eyes and thinning brown hair, he had seen many weird things as a doctor, but never anything as strange as this.  He had never seen anyone fully healed from a gunshot wound so quickly.  He had heard of fast healers, but fully healing from such a serious gunshot wound in about forty-eight hours?  Let's not be ridiculous.

            "This may require some more research," he mumbled to himself as he marked on his notepad that she would need to have some additional tests before her release.

  



	3. Lies and Dead Ends

Chapter 3 is finally here!  It has been a long time in coming, but I finally feel like I can finish this story.  Sorry to have kept everyone waiting!  Things just got so busy for me, and I wasn't sure what to do with my story—I ended up changing some things from the first draft I had written.  Anyway, I hope that those of you who are reading the story are enjoying it.  Please review and let me know what I can do to make this story better!!!

Disclaimer:  I do not own Batman or any related characters.

Chapter 3:  Lies and Dead Ends

            Batman was sitting in front of the hulk of a computer that composed the main frame of the bat cave.  He sat back, silently musing, a scowl on his face, when Tim dropped in.

            "What's with you?" he made no reply.

            "This is ridiculous, there must be something here, there's got to be."

            "Got to be what?"  Tim just stood there, staring at the screen after being ignored a second time, to try to figure out what he was talking about.  Batman turned away from the screen in frustration.  The only thing of remote interest was an obscure article talking about Superman helping shut down the illegal operation she had discovered and reported to the authorities.

            "I guess there's only one way to get the information I want."

            "I want to go with you."

            "Not this time, Tim.  These are some of the most dangerous people I have ever come across."  So saying, he started his car and headed back towards the hospital.

            Lorelei was still puzzling over what was going on when a dark figure emerged from the window.

            "What is it?"  He was somewhat stunned; since she had apparently known he was there the instant he had climbed in.

            "I need you to tell me everything you know about the Martellini Family.  Do you have any other connection to them?"  
  


            "I told you everything I know, and no, I don't have any other connection to them that I'm aware of.  Are you implying something?"  There was a hint of annoyance in her voice.

            "No…Sorry.  What would they want with you, then?"

            "I don't know.  Maybe they want to make me sweat.  They probably think that it will be easier to get me if they've got me scared and on the run before they strike."

            "How can you be so sure?"

            "Someone added something to my IV.  I know because when I removed it, it felt a cloud lifting from my mind.  You know something I don't, don't you?"

            "I thought you might know something I didn't. Can you remember when you worked with Superman to help shut the Martellini's down?"

            "Yes, why?"

            "Do you remember throwing a man so hard that he put large cracks into a brick wall?"

            "I remember throwing a guy into a wall, but I didn't exactly go and examine the wall."

            "What do you remember?"

            "Well, they had expected his arrival.  They had taken me hostage with a couple of others who were in the wrong place at the wrong time.  I took advantage of the confusion to give Superman a hand.  They put up a good fight; I was defending against them when they brought one of the other hostages up, and threatened to shoot him if I didn't surrender.  Superman was elsewhere, so I pretended to comply.  Then one of the other goons grabbed me.  Then, Superman worked his way into the room, melted their guns, and the next instant I had thrown my captor into the wall.  Did you ever consider that it might have been Superman that had done that?  Why don't you ask him?"

            Batman stood there for a moment, silent.  He knew that she was lying.  But he wasn't sure what other explanation there could be.  There was only one way to find out.

Batman walked towards the window.  Turning around he said, "Watch your back."  The next instant he disappeared, silent as a shadow.

            The next morning as she was packing her things to leave, she noticed that the commissioner had not come to pick her up.  _Maybe he finally realized that it's better to let me deal with things on my own,_ she reasoned, which she felt was better for all of them.  As she was gathering the last of her things, the door opened, and she instantly flipped around.  To her great astonishment, it was Bruce Wayne.

            "Hello."  _What are you doing here?_  She did not pose the question aloud.

            "I wanted to thank you again for taking care of Tim for me, I know he really doesn't enjoy those society parties."  He smiled pleasantly.  "Would you like to go out for lunch?"

            "Uh…sure."

            "Great!  The commissioner thought it was a great idea, so he figured he'd come get you later."

_I guess that means he isn't taking my advice after all.  Damn!_

"Did I say something wrong?"  He asked, noticing a cloud come over her expression.

"Oh, no!  No, I was just thinking about something…"

"Well, then, shall we?"

"What am I supposed to do with my things?"

"I can just stick that in the trunk of my car."

"Ok."  With that, he led her out the door.

Lorelei stared in amazement at the restaurant's surroundings.  _At least he knows what I like._  But why, then, did she feel so uncomfortable?  Aloud, she said, "How did you know that I liked sushi?"

"The commissioner mentioned to me your interest in Japanese matters that night we met.  He was about to introduce you to me, but then…I just have a knack for guessing at what lovely ladies like."

"That's so sweet."  _Why am I blushing?  I am not going to turn into some drooling hollow-eyed idiot!_  "What do you like to do in your spare time, Mr. Wayne?"

Bruce took note of the deepening color of her cheeks.  "Well, I do have a nightlife…" they were interrupted when the waiter came and took their orders.  After the waiter left, Bruce started to say something, but noticed that she was not paying any attention.  The expression on her face had changed to one that seemed so melancholy; it was as if a part of her was somewhere else.

"So, do you have any hobbies?"

Lorelei snapped back into reality.  "Oh, I'm sorry!  I didn't even realize I had spaced out; I study karate in my spare time."  Bruce had only really asked the question to make conversation, he had known from the first time he laid eyes on her that she had background in karate, her fighting style said it all.  They talked about various things, ranging from martial arts to traditional Japanese etiquette to history.  Bruce found her intriguing, a wonderful change of pace from some of the other women he had been known to associate with.  She was definitely feminine, but sort of gave off a sense of being used to being independent, someone who did not need to depend on someone else for her livelihood.  Lorelei also seemed to find him equally intriguing; it was not often that she met a man that she could talk to about martial arts that would truly understand what she was talking about.  Before either of them realized it, they had been in the restaurant for over an hour.

"My, how time flies!  I have a meeting at the office, but I would really like to talk to you some more.  When are you available?"

            "I am available pretty much anytime, I haven't really been able to look into getting a job or anything; I have to keep a low profile."

            "How about dinner at my place tomorrow night?"

            "Sounds good.  What time?"

            "I'll have Alfred come and get you around 7:30.  Where are you headed?"

            "Commissioner Gordon should be coming to get me soon."

            "Then I'll wait with you until he gets here."

            "Are you sure?   I don't want to make you late for your meeting."

            "Don't worry about it.  I would hate to leave and find out that something terrible happened to you while you were waiting."

            She smiled.  "All right then.  I wouldn't want you to feel guilty."

************************************************************************

            That evening Batman sat pondering in the batcave, but could come up with no rational explanation for what had really happened with the Martellini's.  The more he thought about it, the more perplexed he became.  Alfred was busily dusting the cave, but did notice the troubled expression on Batman's face.  "Contemplating a new mind game, sir?"

           "I can't make sense of this Alfred.  I've approached from many different angles, but they all lead to the same dead end.  It looks like if I want any answers, Superman is the only person who has them."

            "Perhaps you should think back to where it all started-"

            "Alfred! You're brilliant!"   With that, he dashed over to the batmobile.  "Don't wait up."  Having said that, he sped away in the batmobile.

            He quietly approached the alley next to the club.  Nothing seemed different, except the wall of the neighboring building had large cracks that originated from a central point, like someone had crashed into the wall.  Upon closer examination, he discovered that they were fresh.  They couldn't be more than a few days old.  He tried to remember what had happened, and vaguely remembered that one of the thugs had been suddenly pushed into the wall, and then the rest had fled when the sirens started to sound.  Could she be another Kryptonian?  He mused to himself.  But he then realized that that was impossible, because no ordinary bullet would have been able to pierce her skin.  He was once more back to square one.  The only explanation he could come up with was that she had some sort of special mental capabilities, but that was not a good enough answer for him.  He wanted something that made sense.  There had to be something he had overlooked…there was only one thing to do.  Off he sped in his car for Metropolis.

            The next night, Bruce awaited Lorelei's arrival by pacing back and forth across the floor in impatience.  Alfred was taking an awfully long time to get there.  His fears were allayed when he heard the car pull up.  Bruce strolled over to a painting on the wall and pretended to study it in earnest, not turning around until he heard the door open.  His breath was taken away as she walked in.  She was wearing a full-length oriental style gown made of deep blue silk brocade with a mandarin collar.  He walked towards her and invited her to come and sit with him next to a fireplace in the next room.  Alfred smiled as he watched their animated discussion in the next room.  Alfred could tell that the young lady was keeping Master Bruce's interest.

            It had been a long time since Bruce had discussed the deeper aspects of martial arts, and he found it very refreshing.  He did not even realize how much time had gone by in what seemed to be a half hour or so until Alfred brought in their dinner.  Soon after Alfred left the room, the doorbell rang.  "Is that someone important?  Should I leave?"  Lorelei asked.

            "No, no, don't worry about it, I'm sure it's nothing."

            No sooner had Alfred opened the door than unwanted visitors knocked him unconscious.  Unfortunately, the manor was so large that no one else heard them enter the house.

            Lorelei and Bruce had moved to a couch next to the fireplace after finishing their meal.  "I really enjoyed having dinner with you tonight," Bruce said as he gazed into her eyes.  In her eyes he noticed a look of worry, almost of fright.  "Am I making you feel uncomfortable?"

            Lorelei abruptly woke up from her reverie.  "Oh, Bruce, it's not you.  I had a wonderful time with you tonight too.  I just have this feeling…"

            "Please, don't worry, you're safe here, I won't let anyone hurt you."  He slowly reached a hand out to gently stroke her face as he leaned forward to kiss her.  As they slowly pulled away from each other, a gas bomb exploded right in their midst.  In a matter of seconds they had both fallen unconscious upon the floor.  The henchmen quickly scooped Lorelei up and fled.

            Meanwhile, Batgirl and Robin had responded to a distress signal that Bruce had set off only seconds before he had succumbed to the gas.  Unfortunately, by the time they found Bruce it was too late.  Batgirl ran over to see if Bruce was all right while Robin ran after the henchmen.  Ascertaining that Bruce was unconscious and unharmed, she moved him onto the couch, and then started to search for Alfred.  When she found him she came across Robin helping Alfred onto his feet.

            "Alfred, are you all right?  What happened?"  Batgirl asked as both she and Robin helped Alfred over to a chair.

            "I really don't remember anything beyond answering the door and being hit on the head miss, I'm sorry."

            "Don't worry about it, Alfred, we'll know when Bruce comes to."

            "Where is Miss Spencer?"  Alfred asked.

            "She was here?"  Batgirl asked in surprise.

            "Yes, she and Master Bruce were having dinner when those men arrived."

            "Robin, fan out.  We need to search the house"

            "Right."  With that, Batgirl and Robin began their search.

            By the time Batgirl and Robin finished searched the house Bruce had regained consciousness.  He saw Alfred sitting nearby.

            "Where's Lorelei?"

            "Master Bruce, I don't know.  When I went to answer the door, I was hit over the head.  Batgirl and Robin are searching the house right as we speak."

            "It's all right Alfred.  Are you all right?"

            "Yes, I'm sure that I will be all right, sir.  Are you all right?"

            "I'm fine."  Just then, Batgirl and Robin entered the room.  

            "She's not here."  Batgirl said.

            "I know.  Did you see anyone leave the mansion?"

            "They were already out of range for the tracker when we got here.  Whoever they are, they're good."

            Bruce frowned as Batgirl told him what she knew.  Then he walked over to the clock, flipped a hidden switch, and walked into the batcave without another word.


End file.
